INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[racinchickins]

A rooster question:
My former roo always let us know his gender. (Crowing & mating hens nonstop)
My current boy crows a lot less (It's wonderful!) However, I don't see him mate often anymore. Do they mate less during the winter months or could he have low T?
Around 22 weeks old, he would only go after the girls his own age. The bigger hens intimidated him! Eventually, he mated them too - then got pecked & chased away for his attention. I've seen him do the dance recently, but he seems to have stopped chasing the girls around. He's an 8 month old, giant Lavender Orpington. Could he have learned manners or will the mating pick up when spring hits?

I've noticed recently a big drop off in my boys urgency to jump anything that will stay still long enough for them to get attached. I attribute it partially to winter and partially to them maturing. I found last year with some of my older roosters that I wasn't noticing mating as often. Then I actually paid attention and realized that some mating was still going on, but it wasn't accompanied by the wild squawking of the hens that had grabbed my attention earlier. The boys were doing more actual courting and the girls were giving it up more willingly. There was still chicken sex, but it wasn't nearly as violent. That being said, when it gets cold and dark during the winter, I believe everyone takes a bit of a break. My girls have certainly taken a break from egg laying also.

 

[Linemanlett]

New to chicks, whats the best bedding for the first couple weeks?

 

[wheezy50]

Here are the bantam Brahmas that are up for sale. 2 buff pullets and a light roo. PM me for more information!

 

[wheezy50]

New to chicks, whats the best bedding for the first couple weeks?

I use regular old pine shavings. I like the medium flake size , it seems to produce less dust. Just DON'T USE CEDAR. it's supposed to cause respiratory problems in chickens

 

[Faraday40]

Another ? for those veteran chicken owners:

I saw my roo do a quick head sway (or tilt) that caused his waddles to wiggle. It looked like an interesting dance move. Perhaps he was adjusting his crop or something. (Just a guess) Another thing I observed was some water come out of his mouth/beak. (Clear, not white, not foamy, no smell). He's been acting OK, but I saw the head movement a few times throughout the day. I know from owning a variety of animals in my life, that any small variation in behavior could be a symptom of a minor issue. It's always best to be observant so treatments can start before a pet actually looks ill.

Anyway, it didn't look like a typical rooster movement, and he wasn't trying to impress a hen - because those are some very strange moves.
Is there anything I should be on the lookout for? Something to feed him or prohibit?

Thanks in advance. .

 

[Granny Hatchet]

feel his crop faraday , make sure its not impacted. I dont know enough about it to guide you though.

 

[birdman55]

nope have not visited them but I will look up the info and maybe this year I will go and check them out

 

[Leahs Mom]

I stopped in to read a bit earlier today and saw your post just before I went to hobby lobby so I looked for them and.... I got one too! Put it on the gate of the chicken pen in the barn so I get to see it when I go out!

Another ? for those veteran chicken owners:

I saw my roo do a quick head sway (or tilt) that caused his waddles to wiggle. It looked like an interesting dance move. Perhaps he was adjusting his crop or something. (Just a guess) Another thing I observed was some water come out of his mouth/beak. (Clear, not white, not foamy, no smell). He's been acting OK, but I saw the head movement a few times throughout the day. I know from owning a variety of animals in my life, that any small variation in behavior could be a symptom of a minor issue. It's always best to be observant so treatments can start before a pet actually looks ill.

Anyway, it didn't look like a typical rooster movement, and he wasn't trying to impress a hen - because those are some very strange moves.
Is there anything I should be on the lookout for? Something to feed him or prohibit?

Thanks in advance. .

Sometimes mine do that if they got a piece of something that is too long to get swallowed down. Like a long blade of grass, for example. But usually I see the piece partially out of the mouth. They try to get it down or pull it out of their mouth until they can break it off or get it down.

Did you possibly see anything that he was trying to swallow? If that's what it was, it will usually take care of itself.



Another thing that "might" cause head shaking would be mites in the ear.

I'd just watch him and see if he's still doing it tomorrow. If he's still doing it, I'd try to take a look for mites or lice around the head/ears.


These are just "possible" suggestions. May not be either one.

 

[kittydoc]

No desire or time to search through 1000's of posts!  A number of months ago Brad & several others (can't remember who) were experimenting with different types of leg bands for their chickens.  Could you refresh the memory which bands you ended up liking best and where you got them?  Right now I'm not too worried whether or not they are numbered.  Would anyone also have a suggestion for the best type of leg bands for the ducks?  We're wanting to integrate our young ones with the rest of the duck flock, but want to ID them first.

We just started using the colored numbered aluminum bands with 3 holes for different size birds. You have to use the specific plier to seal them, but they were easy to use. I will say that even the larger of the two size ranges will not work for English Orp roos. Their legs are just too big! The birds did not notice them at all. We picked colors that birds don't react to also, i.e. blue and green, to ensure that they don't peck at other's feet, either.

 

[kittydoc]

We've been getting our first fertile eggs lately, and are excited. Our two English Jubilee Orpington roos are keeping four pullets busy, and we're getting an average of 2 eggs per day. The roos are from GFF lines, and the girls from a different breeder with a blend of Marc Sacre and GFF. If anyone is interested in hatching eggs, just PM me. Local is the way to go if you want a good hatch rate, and with gas prices down, it's more affordable to drive to pick up eggs than to pay shipping. We should have Lavender and Black/Lav split Orp hatching eggs in a couple of months, too.

Have a safe and fun Christmas Eve!